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- Category: Motorcycle
January 30, 2024
Nashville, Tennessee – Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) today announced it has teamed up with top Canadian Superbike Championship riders Ben Young and Trevor Daley to form Team BATTLAX, which will debut at the 82nd running of the Daytona 200 March 7-9, 2024, at Daytona International Speedway. Team BATTLAX will compete on a pair of identical custom Suzuki Canada GSX-R750 builds featuring Bridgestone BATTLAX race tires.
The Bridgestone-backed Team BATTLAX will feature a unique partnership with Young, Canadian Superbike champion who is fresh off his third Canadian title, and Daley, who is a Suzuki Canada rider. Race and fabrication shop OneSpeedInc is building a pair of Suzuki Canada GSX-R750s with technical oversight and advice from Young’s longtime crew chief Willie Vass.
“The Daytona 200 features some of the best professional riders from across the world, and we are thrilled to partner with Ben and Trevor to represent Bridgestone this year,” said Jim Dowell, Motorsports and Sales Manager for Bridgestone Motorcycle Tire business in the United States and Canada. “The Bridgestone BATTLAX family of tires has a long history of delivering at the highest levels of racing, and we are looking forward to seeing Team BATTLAX push its performance on track at the Daytona 200.”
The 2023 Daytona 200 marked Young's first experience racing on Bridgestone tires. Despite several challenges with Young’s equipment on race weekend, a late-race push ultimately saw him running inside the Top 10. The 2024 event will see Young contesting his fourth Daytona 200 and Daley’s first. In addition to Young’s Daytona 200 race experience with Bridgestone tires, Daley has spent significant time as part of a Daytona 24-hour prototype racing team bringing a wealth of experience for the preparation needed to compete in a demanding endurance racing event.
“In North American motorcycle racing, there isn’t a challenge greater than the high banks of the Daytona 200,” said Young. “To win at Daytona is the ultimate feather in a racer’s cap. I’m ready to take my experience in previous Daytona 200s—and specifically last year on Bridgestone tires—and deliver another strong season of racing that builds upon the success of the last several.”
Young and Daley will be racing on Bridgestone BATTLAX tires following both riders recently completing the inaugural Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship Series, which marked the company’s record-setting first year as the exclusive tire supplier. Team BATTLAX will be fortified trackside by a full slate of Bridgestone engineers, with the entire team taking part in testing preceding the Daytona 200.
“Leading up to the event, our team will be well familiarized with the supersport spec GSX-R750 and will be able to use valuable information and experience to put us at the sharp end of the grid,” said Daley. “Between our collective experience and riding our own prepared bikes featuring Bridgestone BATTLAX race tires, I feel extremely confident heading into this year’s 200 with Team BATTLAX.”
Bridgestone’s partnership with Team BATTLAX aligns with the “Emotion” and “Ease” values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment. The Bridgestone E8 Commitment, encompassing eight values all beginning with the letter “E,” solidifies Bridgestone’s dedication to fostering a more sustainable world.
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- Category: Motorcycle
January 22, 2024
- Details
- Category: Motorcycle
October 13, 2023
Toronto, Ontario – A new race division will join the Bridgestone CSBK national series in 2024, with the addition of an Amateur Twins category, and a brand-new Cup class for near standard “spec” Kawasaki ZX-4RR machinery.
“Our goal is to provide an opportunity for affordable competition within the Bridgestone CSBK range of classes,” explains series owner Ross Millson. “We’re excited to have Kawasaki join us in offering something new and exciting for Canadian road racing competitors.”
In 2023, CSBK offered a Pro Twins division in conjunction with the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike category, but next season that category will stand alone with an additional Amateur component for the two-cylinder machinery offered by Suzuki, Aprilia, and Yamaha. The rules structure for Pro Twins will mirror other national divisions, with horsepower established at 90 and enforced on the official Dynojet Dyno by Brooklin Cycle Racing of Pickering, ON.
All three manufacturers won National Pro Twins races in 2023, with Aprilia veteran Jeff Williams leading the category prior to a race injury suffered in July. Eventually, Suzuki-mounted first-year pro Andrew Van Winkle, age 16 from Chilliwack, BC, earned the inaugural Bickle Racing Pro Twins title.
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR Cup
Meanwhile, the big news is the development of a category focused on the brand new, high-revving four-cylinder Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR family of sports offerings.
Restricted in street trim due to noise regulations in the U.S.A., the CSBK Cup Series will allow for electronic upgrades that increase the engine’s power output. The unrestricted ZX-4RR is capable of more than 75 horsepower on a rear wheel Dyno.
Details of the Ninja ZX-4RR rules package and specific guidelines will be available shortly, the class offering only mild updates (bodywork, suspension, exhaust) to the standard high spec of the Ninja ZX-4RR.
The new series will be supported by Canadian Kawasaki Motors and be open to both Pro and Amateur level competitors.
Kawasaki last supported a “spec” type class in 2015, when CSBK produced 22 identical Ninja 300 twins for use in a special debut media event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. These Kawasakis formed the basis for what would become the debut of the Amateur Lightweight Sport Bike category in 2018.
The initial 2024 plan will see Pro and Amateur Twins classes share track time with the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR Series, practicing, qualifying, and racing together. As with the Pro-AM Lightweight category, each group will have one podium post race, with Pros and Amateurs sharing the rostrum.
However, if the two categories see sufficient entries, they could be separated in select later rounds.
In terms of Championship status, the Pros and Amateurs will be scored separately, meaning there will be a total of four National class Champions crowned at the completion of the 2024 season for the Pro-AM Twins/Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR class.
For more information on the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca
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- Category: Motorcycle
November 15, 2023
Toronto, Ontario – The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will feature its largest broadcast schedule yet in 2024, returning with TSN and joining RDS for a record-breaking 24 new episodes next season.
The national series began its partnership with TSN (The Sports Network) in 1994, joining Canada’s premier sports channel and ESPN affiliate. As they prepare to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2024, the two sides will now expand their relationship to include dedicated broadcasts for Quebec’s French-language channel, RDS.
RDS (Réseau Des Sports) was launched in 1989 as a sister network to TSN, and will now prepare their own independent broadcasts of all 12 planned Superbike races next season, with the search currently underway for Francophone announcers.
“The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship has proven to be a world-class circuit year after year,” said Mathieu Jolivet, the senior producer for RDS. “TV viewers everywhere now have access to a top-notch product that showcases talent from all over the country, most notably from Quebec. We are thrilled to once again be able to showcase these riders and this series on RDS in 2024!”
The expansion comes at a pivotal time in Quebec’s racing history, as the province has continued to produce some of the series’ most notable stars, including pro champions Alex Dumas and Sebastien Tremblay, Superbike frontrunner Sam Guerin, amateur champion Mavrick Cyr, and teenage sensation Vincent Lalande, amongst others.
In 2023, TSN showcased a record 21 original episodes of national action, presenting all ten Superbike races, all nine Sport Bike races, and two amateur support class episodes.
The 2024 schedule is all but confirmed to feature 12 feature Superbike races (which will be shown on both TSN and RDS), with 12 additional Sport Bike broadcasts on TSN to bring the total to a record of 24 episodes.
A particular highlight of 2023’s broadcast success was the debut of announcer Marshall Ferguson – the popular CFL voice joining Colin Fraser in the Superbike booth – and both are expected to return in 2024 for all Superbike races on TSN.
More information on the expanded broadcast efforts of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information on the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca
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- Category: Motorcycle
October 11, 2023
Shannonville, Ontario – The 2024 Super Series schedule will include five rounds of double-header competition to be held between May and September at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
“We are already getting ready for the 2024 season and happy to release our dates so racers can plan their summer,” affirms Series General Manager, Dominique Bondar. “We have been working hard to make the 2024 season free of scheduling conflicts. As a regional series, it’s important to give those who aspire at a racing career the chance to do so without jeopardizing their championship at home. We have seen some great riders mature into remarkable racers within our group and I feel very proud.”
It’s no secret, Shannonville Motorsport Park is the finest venue for grassroots motorcycle racing in Canada. Its different configurations allow for diversity and the Super Series uses this advantage to create a five-event campaign that includes a variety of the best configurations.
The 2024 calendar will also include two racing schools and test days exclusively dedicated to Super Series competitors. The season kicks off on May 3rd with the Spring Super Series Racing School. The following weekend, May 10-12, the riders will take to the track layout for the first double header of the year.
2024 Schedule
Thursday (evening), May 2nd
& Friday (all day), May 3rd
Spring Racing School
Round 1
May 10 (Test Day)
May 11-12 (PRO Circuit)
Round 2
June 14 (Test Day)
June 15-16 (LONG Circuit)
Round 3
July 5 (Test Day)
July 6-7 (NELSON Circuit)
Round 4
August 2 (Test Day)
August 3-4 (LONG Circuit)
Round 5
September 6 (Test Day)
September 7-8 (PRO Circuit)
The 2024 Competition Licence will be available for purchase on December 1st, 2023. As usual, riders that purchase their licence before February 1st will be granted a free Test Day.
The 2023 Photo Book will be available for purchase shortly on our website. It is a collection of pictures that many photographers took during the season. The Super Series extends special thanks to all the photographers that shared their work with the series.
To find out more about the schedule, competition licences or the racing schools, please visit our website at www.super-series.ca.